Agent-based modeling is a widely-used, effective, and tested method for simulating CES [1]}, [2]}, [3]}, [4]}. An ABM creates a system of autonomous decision-making entities called agents which individually assess their situations and make decisions based on a set of rules [3]}. Agents affect their surroundings through their actions and in doing so, self-organization, patterns, structures, and behaviors emerge from the “ground up” that were not explicitly programmed into the models but nevertheless arise through agent-interactions [4]}. This “ground up” agent-centered approach differentiates ABMs from other system modeling methods such as discrete event simulation and system dynamic models which take top-down approaches [7]}. The ability of ABMs to demonstrate emergence also makes it ideal for understanding highly-interacting systems.
